Gusset plate construction

ABSTRACT

A method of constructing plates from tetrahedral and or pyramid shaped cups joined to one another at their base perimeter in an array and joined at their apexes to a flat sheet resulting in a rigid plate with open tetrahedral or pyramid shaped cups on one side and a flat surface on the other. Between the cup shape and flat sheet pipes and or wires may be run. The plates may be made in any size and various materials. Joining of the shapes may be as molded or secondary by fasteners, gluing or welding. Variations of the method include mirroring said tetrahedral or pyramid shaped cups joined at the base and joining them at their apexes with or without a flat sheet between. In addition the sheets may be curved.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Patent Application No. 61/274,648

Filing Date: Aug. 20, 2009

Name of Applicant: Thomas Phillips

Title of Invention: Gusset Plate Construction

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: NOT APPLICABLE REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX: NOT APPLICABLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject of this invention generally pertains to a method of constructing walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, platforms, table tops and other structures that have a planar or curved surface that generally requires additional support such as studs or joists to maintain shape in use.

In the construction of a home a wooden skeleton or frame is generally built up on a concrete foundation which sets on the ground. To the frame an inside skin and an outside skin are attached and between the skins pipe for water and wire for electricity are placed. It is often necessary to cut holes in the frame for pipe and wire.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a means of producing plates or panels that are light in weight and rigid to serve as walls, floors, roofs, platforms, table tops, and other structures where stiff planar surfaces are required.

It is another object of this invention to provide a means of producing curved plates or panels that are light in weight and rigid to serve as panels in domes or as domes.

It is another object of this invention to provide a means of producing curved plates or panels that are light in weight and rigid to serve as a parabolic dish or as segments of a parabolic dish.

Another object of this invention is to provide plates or panels that serve as walls that have space for pipes and wire to run through without modification.

Another object of this invention is to provide plates or panels that can be attached to one another and other structures easily.

Another object of this invention is to provide plates or panels that can be made as one single piece or can be made of multiple pieces.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method to make plates that can be used as components in the construction of larger plates of similar shape that can be used in the construction of large structures with a ratio of material to area and strength that is generally lower than present construction methods allow.

These and other objects are accomplished by a novel panel formed by the joining of two plates; one comprised of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters and with the apex of said pyramid shaped cups facing and joined to a second plate which can be flat throughout or can be a mirror of said plate comprised of pyramid shaped cups.

Another feature of the invention is that a flat sheet of material could be placed between two plates, each being comprised of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters, mirrored to each other and each of which is attached to the sheet between them at the apex of said pyramid shaped cups.

Another feature is that the pyramid shaped cups could be replaced with tetrahedral shaped cups; the resultant plate or panel being triangular in shape. This could be used to make triangular panels for geodesic structures. The triangles for this purpose need not be equilateral in all cases as isosceles triangles are often used in the construction of geodesic domes.

Further with respect to triangular panels; they could be used as the wall of a pyramid shaped cup in the construction of exponentially larger rectangular pyramid panels or exponentially larger tetrahedral panels. Further; the aforesaid panels made of smaller panels could be used in the construction of even larger panels and so on and so on.

Another aspect is that the sheets comprised of pyramid shaped cups or tetrahedral shaped cups, joined at their base perimeters, used to make panels, can be made separately and nested to conserve space during storage and transporting. In this case a sheet comprised of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters or comprised of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters could be attached at the apexes to another similar sheet or to a flat sheet; attachment made being near the apex of the pyramids or tetrahedrons with glue, screws, melting, welding or other methods. The panels might be made of formed steel with projections for welding or holes for screws, or vacuum formed plastic, or concrete.

Another aspect is that panels could be made at a site; for instance platens with pyramid shapes projecting could be sprayed with fiberglass; and closed on one another prior to curing joining the fiber glass on the aforesaid platens together to cure. The cured fiberglass will form a plate or panel when removed from the platens; one of the platens could be flat as opposed to having pyramid shaped or tetrahedral shaped projections.

Another aspect of the invention is that the outer perimeter has a shape that is easily attached to extrusions or wood shapes making connection of individual panels or moldings or mounting surfaces of many kinds easy to execute.

Another aspect is that the panels could be made curved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a pyramid shaped cup attached at the apex to a flat plate.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same parts shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the parts shown in FIG. 1 in an array of 9 parts made as 1 unit and seen from the open end of the pyramid shaped cups.

FIG. 4 is a section through the center of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a section through a panel similar to that in FIG. 3 but with the pyramid shaped cups mirrored and joined at the apex to the pyramids mirrored.

FIG. 6 is a section through a panel similar to FIG. 5 with the addition of a flat sheet being joined to the apex of the mirrored pyramid shaped cups.

FIG. 7 is a section similar to FIG. 3 with the flat panel being attached to the apex of the pyramid shaped cups using a screws.

FIG. 8 is three dimensional view of a tetrahedral panel.

FIG. 9 shows an end view of an extrusion connecting (2) panels, one of which is shown in section.

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view showing curved panels and that the apexes can face either the major or minor diameter of the curved surface of the panel being formed.

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of a panel made of smaller panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 a single pyramid shape 1 constructed of fiber glass is shown attached near its apex to a flat piece 2 of the same material. Hidden lines are omitted in this view for clarity.

Referring to FIG. 2 a single pyramid shape 1 and flat piece 2 are shown in side view. Pyramid shape 1 forms a cup with a wall thickness substantially equal to the thickness of flat piece 2 though equal thickness is not a requirement.

Referring to FIG. 3, a panel is shown that is a 3×3 array of FIG. 1; the view is taken looking into pyramid shape 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and therefore flat piece 2 is hidden from view.

Referring to FIG. 4, the panel shown in FIG. 3 is shown in section view; pyramid shape 1 is joined in array as one piece to itself at it's base and to flat piece 2 substantially close to where the apex of said pyramid 1 and the external surface of said flat piece 2 meet so that the wall thickness at the apex of said pyramid shape 1 and the wall thickness of said flat piece 2 are shared. It is apparent that the base of said pyramid 1 in said array is one piece with itself in array and that the apex of said pyramid 1 in said panel is held equidistant from each apex of said pyramid 1 by being one with said flat piece 2 and that said panel is rigid.

To make the panel described above the following method could be used. Fiber glass is sprayed onto a platen with pyramid shapes comprising its surface. Fiber glass is sprayed onto a second flat panel with an outside perimeter matching the said platen comprised of pyramid shapes. The platens are then joined so that the apexes of the pyramids mate with the flat surface of the fiber glass sprayed on the second platen and the fiber glass is allowed to cure. After curing the platens are removed and a panel is left.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of a pyramid panel with pyramid 1 in array and mirrored, with apexes sharing material.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a pyramid panel with the pyramid 1 in array and mirrored and with apexes joined with a flat sheet. Item 2 flat piece is ended at the external apexes of said array to simplify the outside perimeter profile for purposes of attachment; it could be extended beyond.

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a pyramid panel that is made in separate pieces; a sheet with Pyramid 1 in array, and a Flat Sheet 2 and self tap Screws 3. It will be apparent that the connection made with Screws 3 could be made with adhesive, or projection welding or other mechanical methods depending on material used.

FIG. 8 shows a triangular panel made of tetrahedral shaped cups 1T as opposed to pyramid shapes and with the apexes of the tetrahedral shapes shared with a flat triangular sheet 2T. This panel could be used for geodesic construction or as the side of a larger pyramid cup in pyramid panel construction or the side of a tetrahedron cup in larger tetrahedral construction.

Referring to FIG. 9 a method to attach panels to panels or other items is shown. A panel comprised of items 1 and 2 in array as one piece is shown, the horizontal panel being sectioned and the vertical panel an end view, with self tap screws 3 joining them to item 4, an extrusion. It will be apparent that the extrusion could be any material or that item 4 could be a solid wood molding. The drawing is meant to be illustrative of how easily attachment can be made; the variations are not meant to be limited.

Referring to FIG. 10 a method to make curved panels is shown. As in flat panels the base perimeters of the pyramid cups 1 or tetrahedron cups are attached to one another and the apexes are attached to a plate 2 which is in this case not flat.

Referring to FIG. 11 a method to make large panels from small panels is shown. Item 1 in this example is a pyramid shaped cup made by connecting 4 panels as shown in FIG. 8 at the outside perimeter; any mechanical method of connection could be used. Item 2 is a flat panel as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

It is apparent that Items 1 and 2 could be used to make exponentially larger versions of Items 1 and 2 and that these could in turn be used to make exponentially larger Items 1 and 2. 

1. A Gusset Panel comprised of 2 parallel sheets; one sheet being flat throughout and the other comprised of a rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters and with said pyramid shaped cups apexes joined with said sheet being flat throughout.
 2. The Gusset Panel in claim 1 in which the two said parallel sheets are curved.
 3. The Gusset Panel in claim 1 in which the rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is replaced by a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their perimeters.
 4. The Gusset Panel in claim 1 in which the said rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is joined at their base perimeters with a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters.
 5. A Gusset Panel comprised of 2 parallel sheets; each sheet being comprised of a rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters and with said pyramid shaped cups apexes facing each other in mirror fashion from sheet to sheet and joined at said apexes.
 6. The Gusset Panel in claim 5 in which the two said parallel sheets are curved.
 7. The Gusset Panel in claim 5 in which the rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is replaced by a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters.
 8. The Gusset Panel in claim 5 in which the rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is joined at their base perimeters with a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters.
 9. A Gusset Panel comprised of 3 parallel sheets; 2 of which are comprised of a rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters and with said pyramid shaped cups facing each other in mirror fashion from sheet to sheet and joined at their apexes with a third parallel sheet being flat throughout.
 10. The Gusset Panel in claim 9 in which the three said parallel sheets are curved.
 11. The Gusset Panel in claim 9 in which the rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is replaced by a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters.
 12. The Gusset Panel in claim 9 in which said rectangular array of pyramid shaped cups joined at their base perimeters is joined to a triangular array of tetrahedral shaped cups joined at their base perimeters to each other and to said pyramid shaped cups at their base perimeters. 